Other

Depuy Synthes Products, Inc.

Control Delivery Systems, Inc.

Micrus Endovascular Corporation

Psivida Us, Inc.

David A Watson

Paul Ashton

Robert W Shimizu

Andre S Lundkvist

Richard Laporte

Marc-Alan Levine

Stephen J Hebert

Hong Guo

Jianbing Chen

Thomas J Smith

Kang-Jye Chou

Thomas G Breton

An improved shunt valve for the control of hydrocephalus provides for physiological atmospherically-referenced siphon control that is not adversely affected by overlying tissue. The valve includes one or more porous outer anti-fouling membranes to protect the flow control membranes from external mechanical tissue pressure, while permitting free movement of the flow control moveable membranes and permitting positive inlet pressure to regulate flow through the improved fluid shunt valve of the invention. The porous membranes are configured to prevent tissue ingrowth into the membranes pores while allowing adequate fluid flow across so as not to inhibit movement of the movable membrane.

Shunt valve for controlling siphon effect

An injectable drug delivery device includes a core containing one or more drugs and one or more polymers. The core may be surrounded by one or more polymer outer layers (referred to herein as 'coatings,' 'skins,' or &#x201c;outer layers&#x201d;). In certain embodiments, the device is formed by extruding or otherwise preforming a polymeric skin for a drug core. The drug core may be co-extruded with the skin, or inserted into the skin after the skin has been extruded, and possibly cured. In other embodiments, the drug core may be coated with one or more polymer coatings. These techniques may be usefully applied to fabricate devices having a wide array of drug formulations and skins that can be selected to control the release rate profile and various other properties of the drugs in the drug core in a form suitable for injection using standard or non-standard gauge needles. The device may be formed by combining at least one polymer, at least one drug, and at least one liquid solvent to form a liquid suspension or solution wherein, upon injection, such suspension or solution under goes a phase change and forms a gel. The configuration may provide for controlled release of the drug(s) for an extended period.

Injectable sustained release delivery devices

The intravascular stent is formed from a composite wire includes an inner core of radiopaque metal, a polymer layer coaxially disposed about the inner core, and an outer metal layer coaxially disposed about the polymer layer. The intermediary polymer layer acts as a barrier material between the inner core and the outer sheath, so that the inner core and outer sheath may be made of dissimilar metallic layers, and the intermediary polymer layer will prevent a galvanic reaction between the inner core and the peripheral metal layer. The intravascular stent has ends flared radially outwardly to prevent radially and longitudinally inward deformation of the ends of the stent when the stent is disposed in a desired location in a patient's vasculature.

Radiopaque super-elastic intravascular stent

The long nose manipulatable catheter includes a main lumen, a wire lumen with a push-pull wire therethrough, and a flexible joint region. The catheter section includes a control including a handle and a wire control member engaging the push-pull wire for manipulating the flexible joint region. The push-pull wire may be tapered, having a proximal portion of a first diameter and a smaller diameter distal portion. A coil may be placed around the smaller diameter to prevent buckling of the smaller diameter portion. A strapping coil may also disposed around the outside of the catheter, and an outer covering may be disposed around the strapping coil. An outer covering of a mesh may also be disposed around the distal tip of the catheter.

Long nose manipulatable catheter

A surgically implantable delivery or drainage catheter assembly includes a porous fiber membrane that is permeable to the intended drainage or delivery fluid, yet has an outer surface morphology and porosity that prevents the ingrowth of tissue. The porous fiber membrane is created using a phase-inversion process which is controlled to select a desired porosity. A reinforcement member is also disposed within the porous fiber membrane.

Ingrowth preventing indwelling catheter assembly

Process for creating an ingrowth preventing indwelling catheter assembly

A new system for electronic polling. The system employs a plurality of voter check-in stations which display voter identity information and enable poll workers to verify voting eligibility. Each check-in station is connected to the internet by any available means. Periodically, the check-in station sends a block of information to a web site. The block of information includes a list of the registration numbers of all of the voters who have voted and the last time-stamp of information that it has updated onto the local database. The web site responds with a block of information containing a list of voters who have been reported as voting in other areas of the jurisdiction also a list of voters whose status has changed. The check-in station uses this information to update the local database with the voting status and eligibility status of the voters on its database. The voter check-in process runs only against the local database thereby eliminating the reliance on communications with the web site.

Electronic poll register system for elections

A therapeutically effective compound is locally administered by associating the compound with a piece of orthopedic hardware that is implanted at an appropriate site within a body. The compound is adapted, such as through a sustained release device, to administer an effective dosage continuously over an extended period of time. The compound may be administered, for example, to a joint of a mammal by intraarticularly implanting a sustained release device to deliver the therapeutically effective compound within a synovial capsule of the joint, such that synovial fluid concentration of the compound is greater than plasma concentration of the compound. A wide range of orthopedic hardware, such as bone screws and staples, may be adapted to use in the systems described herein to provide treatment for a variety of medical conditions.

Device and method for treating conditions of a joint

An implantable, refillable, rate controlled drug delivery device is disclosed that includes a base structure having at least a first opening and a second opening, the base structure defining a chamber, a septum covering the first opening and configured to substantially prevent leakage from the first opening to an exterior of the device, a drug delivery tube comprising a first and second distal end, wherein the first distal end of the tube communicates with the chamber through the second opening, and at least one rate-limiting permeable membrane disposed across a passage between the base structure and the second distal end of the drug delivery tube, which membrane passively regulates drug delivery. The drug delivery device is used to provide controlled drug delivery to an internal portion of the body and is advantageously leak-proof and does not rely on a pressure differential to drive the drug from the device.

Implantable refillable and ported controlled release drug delivery device

The present invention provides protective padding for preventing damage to a weapon caused by slings used to carry the weapon and the swivels that are used to attach the sling to the weapon, the invention including at least one pad for having an adhesive inner surface that is attached to the weapon in the area where damage would occur.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

David A Watson